Children and Young People's Mental Health: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care: Draft for Consultation : page 8


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Children and Young People's Mental Health: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care

6. COMMUNITY LEARNING

Context

6.1 Community learning development workers have an important role in promoting and supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. This should be recognised within Community Planning and Children's Services Planning contexts. Voluntary organisations have a key role in linking with and providing services to children, young people, their parents and carers within the community and increasingly provide community-based resources such as before- and after-school groups, arts and crafts and sporting activities and specialist day and residential care. Community learning development workers are an important resource for children and young people, with the potential to provide safe places for young people to talk over difficulties and to enable them to become involved in community activities. Activities related to Walk the Talk⁴⁶ also provide a platform on which to build work for children and young people's mental health.

Overarching philosophy & culture

6.2 The Step It Up⁴⁷ materials, commissioned by the Scottish Executive in 2001, describe the purpose of youth work as:

Building self esteem and self confidence.
Developing the ability to manage personal and social relationships.
Creating learning and develop new skills.
Encouraging positive group atmospheres.
Building the capacity of young people to consider risk, make reasoned decisions and take control.
Developing a 'world view' which widens horizons and invites social commitment.

6.3 Effective youth work, as described in the Step It Up materials:

Respects the rights of young people;
Affirms the worth of individual young people and the communities they belong to;
Affirms diversity and confronts discrimination;
Is young people centred;
Takes an inclusive approach which recognises that those young people with most needs should have greater priority;
Recognises that 'process' is of crucial and central value - but also that product and programme have an important part to play;
Values implicit learning as much as that which is explicit;
Is based on the relationship between a young person or a group of young people and a trusted adult;
Is non-judgemental;
Is participative and empowering and allows young people wherever possible to play a full part in shaping the activity;
Is concerned with enabling young people to change, in a positive way, the world in which they live.

SERVICE ELEMENTS	ACTIVITY	OUTCOMES	KEY PARTNERS
Involvement of children, young people, parents and carers in developing information, resources and services to support mental health and wellbeing	Work with youth and community initiatives to ask children and young people for their views on what would be helpful for their emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Involvement of children, young people and their parents/carers in developing (and possibly delivering) support systems and resources within youth and community initiatives. NHS CAMHS to take into account views from existing involvement and participation networks (e.g. local participation strategies, youth councils, forums and consultations). Work with youth and community initiatives to ask parents and carers for their views on the skills/needs of children and young people in terms of mental health and wellbeing. Development of stigma reduction programmes, linked with the See Me⁴⁸campaign. Identification of specific groups and systematic efforts to seek their views through e.g. focus groups/interviews/surveys. Mechanisms through youth and community initiatives to seek views on specific interventions. Seek feedback from children and young people receiving care and treatment on their experiences. Work with youth and community initiatives to seek views on experiences of and ways to tackle stigma associated with mental health problems	Children, young people, parents and carers feel that their views are valued. The development of resources, services and approaches to promote and support mental health are informed by the views of children, young people and their parents/carers	Children & young people Health promotion staff NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Churches/faith communities and associated youth workers NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers) Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinator
Involvement of children, young people, parents and carers in research	Developing children and young people's skills in planning and carrying out research projects, managed/commissioned by agencies and undertaken by young people, with professional support	Research reflects the needs/interests of children and young people, their parents and carers	Children & young people Health promotion staff NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Voluntary sector NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers
Provision of training and consultation for community learning development workers	NHS CAMHS staff plan and provide training opportunities in mental health for community learning development workers, including the impact on mental health of child protection issues. NHS CAMHS staff provide ongoing consultation and advice to community learning development workers	Community learning development workers have a basic understanding of emotional and mental health and development. Community learning development workers recognise the importance of their contribution to children's mental and emotional wellbeing. Community learning development workers have a basic understanding of protective factors and how these can be nurtured. Community learning development workers understand and are able to identify risk factors. Community learning development workers know what specialist advice and support is available to them and how to access it. Referral protocols and pathways for NHS CAMHS are agreed and transparent	Community learning development workers Voluntary sector NHS Primary Care team NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers) Child Protection Committe
Provision of training for community learning development workers on specific issues e.g. aggressive behaviour, self-harm, ADHD, learning disability, mental health aspects of child protection issues	NHS CAMHS staff plan and provide topic-specific training opportunities for community learning development workers	Community learning development workers understand the behaviour of children and young people and feel confident in responding and dealing with it	Community learning development workers Voluntary sector NHS Primary Care team NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers) Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Police Child Protection Committe
Provision of support for community learning development projects in developing opportunities for young people to explore emotional and mental health issues	Build on Choose Life⁴⁹ initiatives already established. Provision of more intensive support to those children and young people who are identified as being likely to develop problems in the future. CAMHS staff ensure that children and young people receiving mental health care and treatment are enabled to access mainstream activities which promote emotional literacy	Children and young people feel comfortable talking about their feelings and emotions. Staff feel confident to introduce emotional literacy activities	Mental health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Choose Life co-ordinator NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers) Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health project
Provision of support for community learning development projects in developing and delivering activities to promote peer support	Build on Choose Life initiatives already established	Children and young people feel confident in supporting their friends. Children and young people at risk are supported by their peers. Children and young people experiencing problems are supported by their peers	Health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Community learning development workers Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health project
Provision of support for community learning development projects in tackling bullying	Involvement in the development and implementation of proactive anti-bullying policies. Provision of advice and support in the establishment of buddy/peer support systems. Links established with the Scottish Anti-Bullying Network by those working on the responses to bullying	Bullied young people feel able to come forward for help. Those being bullied are supported. Help is provided for those bullying to address their behaviour and the reasons for it	NHS Primary Care team Health promotion staff Community learning development workers Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Children & young people Scottish Anti-Bullying Network Community Safety Partnership
Provision of information about local support services and access, including internet resources	Development of accessible information resources on a wide range of general mental health issues, for use within youth and community settings. Development of targeted information resources on a wide range of specific issues. Ensure the availability of information resources in a range of formats and in a range of settings	Children, young people know what information and support is available to them and are able to access it	Health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health project
Provision of confidential, accessible and non-stigmatising counselling support for community learning development workers and for young people	Work with community learning development projects to plan and provide non-stigmatising and accessible counselling support for community learning development workers and for young people, including those receiving care and treatment for mental illness. Counsellors discuss recurring themes with community learning development projects, recommending any action to address issue within the control of the project	Workers and young people have opportunities to talk in confidence when they are feeling troubled. Children and young people receiving treatment and care for mental illness are able to access the counselling service. Common issues are identified and efforts made to prevent recurrence	Health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health projects Counsellor
Provision of group support sessions on particular issues or at particular times of stress	Group sessions are established as part of the regular activity of community learning development projects (preferably peer-led)	Young people understand their emotions. Young people have opportunities to discuss their emotions. Young people develop coping techniques. Young people feel able to support one another	Health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health projects NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers
Provision of support for parents in dealing with issues relating to adolescence	Work with community learning development projects to plan and provide sessions for parents on a range of topics such as maintaining relationships. Work with community learning development projects to plan and provide sessions for parents and others who care for children and young people who may be at risk of developing mental health difficulties	Parents/carers understand the emotional changes that their child is experiencing. Parents/carers understand their child's behaviour and feel able to respon	Health promotion staff Children & young people NHS Primary Care team Community learning development workers Learning Disability Local Area Co-ordinators Voluntary sector Healthy living centres Community health projects Parents NHS CAMHS staff (inc. Primary Mental Health Workers

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